There were many cyclists from the then Province of Florence who fought, even on opposing sides, during the Second World War. In this episode, we will delve into the figures of Gino Bartali, Enzo Desideri, Alfredo Martini and the “Third Man”, Fiorenzo Magni. However, we must not forget Mario Cipriani, a native of Prato from San Giusto, who died in Ferrara on 10 June 1944 during an Allied air raid; the “Morino di Prato” Enzo Coppini, born in Agliana in 1920, but who lived in Prato, who took part in the Russian Campaign for 21 months and then also spent 9 months in Yugoslavia; Giovanni, a native of Prato by adoption, but born in Messina, known as “Giovannino” Corrieri, who enlisted in the anti-aircraft artillery in Turin; Vittorio Magni, from Massarella, Fucecchio, who left in 1941 for the Russian Campaign and returned to Italy in 1942.
His fame and sporting victories guaranteed Bartali ideal cover for his business. At first his travels were between the archbishopric of Florence and Genoa, stopping in Farneta, at the Certosa near Lucca. On 2 September 1944 the Nazis killed 12 Carthusians and 32 civilian refugees there. The road to Genoa was no longer safe and Bartali changed his route, the more famous one from Florence to Assisi. For his work, already a gold medal for civil merit, Gino Bartali was recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem.
A risky work, that of Bartali, who had the worst group of pursuers behind him, that of the Carità Band. Taken to the basement of Villa Triste in Florence by Major Mario Carità himself, he was interrogated and risked being shot. Two soldiers, athletes and admirers of Bartali, intervened and convinced the major to let go of the cyclist from Ponte a Ema who continued his activity.
First training in Rome…Born in Calenzano on 18 February 1921. After 8 September 1943 he joined the Resistance, bringing food and news to the partisans on Monte Morello and Pratomagno. This is Alfredo Martini, historic coach of the Italian national team from 1975 to 1997, who also carried bombs during the war, reminding several times that, if he had fallen, it would not have ended well.
TIMETABLES: THE FINAL SCHEDULE
The official teams
The presentation of the yellow jersey
Tour shuttle bus stormed
Complaint to the team
The (real) departure in Bagno a Ripoli
The passage to Pontassieve
The arrival at Rufina
The transition to Dicomano
The climb to San Godenzo
Trains and Tours: services between Florence and Borgo
Tour fever is rising
Bartali’s historic shirt on display
Palagi closed for two days
The departure for Barone
The countdown
Tours: what you need to know
The info
Routes, timetables and prohibitions
Changes to public transport
Everything about traffic
A special ice cream for the Tour
The event programs and the race route can be consulted here
